Chapter 248 – Before the Storm
Things had developed to this point.
The Kage-level powerhouses present had all been resurrected through Edo Tensei. Their bodies were not their own anymore. They had no choice.
When two armies clash, and your body is a puppet, the only resistance left is your voice. Whether or not Konohagakure could withstand the onslaught now depended entirely on the strength of the Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Yuta.
If he could survive this crisis, all would be well.
Konohagakure would dominate the ninja world. Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Takigakure, and Amegakure would all fall under Uchiha Yuta's rule. Peace would come—at a price. Those who had aligned with the Fifth Hokage early would gain much.
But if he failed… the tide would turn.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure would rise as victors. More terrifyingly, Uchiha Madara would surpass both the First Hokage—Senju Hashirama and the Fifth Hokage, becoming the true king of the ninja world.
And yet, everyone still believed Madara was the mastermind—pulling the strings, manipulating even Uchiha Obito, the masked man. They didn't know…
Madara was merely standing on the seventh floor of this intricate game.
But Black Zetsu—he was already on the tenth.
Uchiha Madara was just another chess piece.
---
"Alright, if there's nothing more, you're all dismissed," the masked man—Uchiha Obito—said coldly, stepping forward. "I don't care what's in your heart. Just be ready for tomorrow. If you mess up—deal with the consequences."
With that, Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, intending to vanish into his Kamui dimension.
But just as he was about to leave…
> "Uchiha Obito… You traitor who betrayed your master and your clan!"
The voice rang out.
Minato Namikaze—the Fourth Hokage—gazed at Obito's swirling mask with cold, bitter fury.
"I don't care that you fell into darkness. But I thought I was good to you… To Kakashi, and to Rin. Yet you were the one who caused the Nine-Tails Rebellion… You led to Kushina's death—my death!"
Obito froze in place.
> "Minato-sensei, you're still so naïve," he replied. "You'll never understand my resolve."
He sneered beneath the mask.
> "Blame Kushina for being the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Blame you for being the Hokage. I made my choice."
Kamui activated. Obito vanished into his dimension—without remorse.
He didn't regret a thing. For others, killing your teacher and his wife would be unthinkable. But to Obito, it was necessary.
He no longer saw Minato and Kushina as people. Just obstacles.
---
"Damn it… really damn it…"
Minato clenched his fists, trembling.
He couldn't understand it. The world felt twisted.
Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had fallen.
Obito, once his student, was now a villain.
Everything he believed in seemed to crumble.
> "Minato," said Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage gently. "Let it go. You've already died once. Let it go."
> "He's right…" added Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, his expression dark.
"The world has changed. Maybe we—those of the past—no longer understand it."
In truth, both Hashirama and Tobirama left something unsaid.
Minato's Will of Fire was too idealistic.
As Hiruzen once said, power corrupts—Minato simply didn't see the deeper game being played across the shinobi world.
---
"Fine… I understand."
Minato lowered his head, despondent.
He knew it now: even with all the rage in his heart, there was nothing he could do.
He was already dead.
---
"Snort…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, scoffed and stepped aside.
He didn't care about being condemned anymore. If he had the chance, he'd return to Konoha—even with a tainted name.
The First, Second, and Fourth Hokage all ignored him.
> "Forget it," someone said. "Let's wait."
> "Tomorrow… everything will change."
> "The final battle is coming."
Everyone fell silent.
In the dimly lit war council chamber, the Raikages, Tsuchikages, Kazekages, and Mizukages—resurrected through Edo Tensei—simply shook their heads.
They knew.
At this stage, words were meaningless. Only the battlefield would decide the future.
---
"Fufufu…"
In a shadowed corner, Orochimaru watched coldly, his serpent eyes glinting.
Everything had gone beyond even his calculations.
Using his optimized Edo Tensei, Uchiha Madara had revived so many legendary Kage—it was insane. But Orochimaru had hidden backdoors in the technique. He alone knew them.
He wouldn't submit so easily.
---
"Alright, let's rest," said the Fourth Raikage—A.
"They're dead and don't need sleep. But we're alive."
"Agreed," muttered Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, cracking his back.
He was old—too old to forgo rest before a massive war.
---
Tomorrow would determine everything.
Would Konoha rise above the storm?
Or would the ninja world fall into the hands of Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu?
No one could say.
Not yet.
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